By Rachael Grealish

The Whitehaven and Workington MP has said he will hold “ministers’ feet to the fire” to ensure new jobs are brought to the area after news the West Cumbria Coalmine may have been permitted “unlawfully”.

It was revealed on Thursday, July 11, the government has acknowledged that approving a proposed coal mine in Cumbria was unlawful, as the planning decision should have considered the mine’s carbon emissions.

Lawyers for the Secretary of State’s Angela Raynor’s Housing, Communities and Local Government department have said there was an “error in law” in the decision to grant planning permission for the mine in December 2022.

The government’s action comes in response to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in the “Finch v Surrey County Council” case, which determined that planning applications for new extraction projects must consider emissions from burning fossil fuels, not just the emissions produced during extraction.

As a result, the government will not be defending two legal challenges next week (16-18 July) against the mine, brought by Friends of the Earth and South Lakes Action on Climate Change (SLACC). 

Instead, it has informed the court that the decision to grant planning permission should be quashed. 

If the court agrees, the planning application will return to the Secretary of State for a new decision.

When asked to comment on the announcement, the newly elected Labour MP, Josh MacAlister, told The Herdwick News that the mine was a “risky bet” but has committed to bringing “new well paid jobs to West Cumbria in industries that will last”

Mr MacAlister said: “The proposals for the mine won’t provide the long-term jobs that we need. It’s a risky bet on a dying industry. The Tories knew this, which is why Boris Johnson opposed the mine as recently as 2021.

“However, the new government must provide an alternative plan to bring new well paid jobs to West Cumbria in industries that will last.

“The election of a Labour government last week means that we now have a government committed to delivering a green industrial strategy to get these jobs here.

“I’ll be holding ministers’ feet to the fire to set out a detailed, credible alternative for West Cumbria that will deliver the brighter future we need and deserve.”